Gerhart said Page also suffered burns in the fire, which broke out about 4 a.m. Firefighters with Lower Alsace, Mount Penn and Exeter fire departments were at the scene about 4:15 and had the fire under control in about 20 minutes.

The woman who lives on the other side of the duplex, Sandra Schultz, 52, escaped unharmed along with her boyfriend, Joseph Pachik, 61,

But both residences are unlivable, he said, estimating that Page's home sustained $65,000 in damage and that Schultz's home sustained $20,000 in damage.

Gerhart said the fire started in Page's kitchen. The cause is under investigation but appears to be cooking related, he said.

Gerhart said Page told him that she microwaved food about 2 a.m., ate it, then went upstairs and fell asleep. She woke up about two hours later, came downstairs and saw that the kitchen was in flames, he said.

Page struggled to get out of her home because of the flames, Gerhart said, then banged on her neighbor's door to wake her and her boyfriend. That's when Page went back into her home to try to save the dog.

"We preach and preach and preach not to go back in," Gerhart said. "She was trying to go back in there to get the dog, and that's when she got the smoke inhalation."